Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu

Uraeginthus bengalus

Other Names

  Red-cheeked Blue Waxbill   Cordonbleu à joues rouges, Cordon-bleu   Schmetterlingsastrild   Azulito de Senegal   Rödkindad fjärilsfink   Blauw Fazantje, Roodwang blauwvink   Cordon blu

World: Africa from about 20° North to 20° South except for forested areas of western and central Africa. Introduced to Hawaiian Islands

Kenya: Mostly absent from the northern half of the country, common elsewhere

Found anywhere there is bush or wooded habitat, including suburban gardens. It can be quite tame and often feeds on the ground around human habitation. The female, which looks like the male except for the red patch on the cheeks, resembles the Blue-capped Cordon-bleu. The Blue-capped is paler, has a longer tail and the bill is pinkish rather than red